2015 Nba Draft Discussion: Russell, Nance Jr., Brown

I watched a little of Duke VS Wisc the other night seeing the Okafor vs Kamenski matchup. Couldnt come away with anything to be quite honest. Too small of a sample. Kentucky plays tonight.

 

Deron intrigues me. However, I wouldn't take back that contract unless I receive a first round pick.

 

I would. As I mentioned, it would need to include a first round pick coming back, though. Also, it would move Lin to the backup role upgrading our backcourt, giving us another 'name', and hopefully another asset.

I think of it this way. Rondo is about 2 years younger, and we would essentially have to give him a max deal for another 4 more years. I'd rather have Deron in the interim and his contract would come off the books the same time as Kobe's giving us two max available slots in 2016.

 

I saw Deron Williams play a few games recently. I feel Westbrook, Paul, Lillard, Parker, Price (just kidding), Rondoooo, Irving, Rose, are so much better now. A barely dunking physical (but no longer explosive) pg who can't really shoot the 3 very well, and can run plays but is more interested in getting his and winning meaningless battles with actual stars. I would much rather take Rondo. Williams is the ex star that would want to abduct our cap to get paid the max.

It's all about the contracts. Hate Lopez's game, Would wait for Johnson to ring chase (he is not bad but not fantastic). Mortgage the future for people from the past, not even Doc Brown has the sort of temporal powers to make that work.

 

Looking into this a bit more, Brooklyn has no picks for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, I'd avoid Williams at all cost. The only reason I would do it is if I'm getting an asset back for taking on that contract. No, thank you.

By the way, I love the way Hill is playing, but I have a question; do you think he fetches a late 1st rounder from another team?

 

Scouts from a dozen NBA teams attended Sunday's game between Spain Cajasol Sevilla and Barcelona. Most of their attention was directed at Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-foot-1 center whom some scouts think could challenge to be the top pick in the 2015 NBA draft.

"Porzingis, or, as I call him, 'Zinger,' is a cross between Andrea Bargnani, Pau Gasol and Ersan Ilyasova," Sevilla coach Scott Roth wrote in an e-mail to Yahoo Sports. "He is 7-1 and still growing at 19 years old. He has the total package, and, really, this is his first year of really playing, getting quality minutes and being depended on game by game.
"The only thing you can say negative about him is his body is not ready and is a work in progress, which will only get better over the years. When he is 22, 23 years old he will be very good and maybe great."
Porzingis had 13 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes of Sevilla's 85-74 victory over Barcelona. Willy Hernangomez, a teammate of Porzingis' and another top draft prospect, had 29 points and 13 rebounds in 31 minutes.

"I haven't seen a European player with the skill combination he possesses," Sevilla swingman and former NBA player Derrick Byars said of Porzingis. "Kristaps has a [Dirk] Nowitzki-like offensive skill set. He's 7-1, can shoot, can put the ball on the floor, can block shots, he's mobile and athletic. There's not much he can't do on the floor."

Porzingis was projected by some NBA scouts to be a late first-round pick in the 2014 draft before he withdrew his name. The Latvian was averaging 11 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 21.1 minutes through eight games of Eurocup play this season while shooting 56.3 percent from 3-point range.

Porzingis "is a hard worker, great kid, fluent in English and loves basketball," said Roth, a former NBA player who was an NBA assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks, Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors.

Here are scouts' opinions on Porzingis and the rest of the top 10 2015 NBA draft prospects playing overseas, including Congolese-American Emmanuel Mudiay.

1. Kristaps Porzingis, PF, 7-1, 220 pounds, Spain Cajasol Sevilla, 19: "He is a top-three prospect. He's a Dirk Nowitzki-type but more athletic. He runs the floor, plays above the rim and is a face-up guy. He has a shot at being the No. 1 pick and is definitely in the top three."

2. Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, 6-5, 190 pounds, China Guangdong, 18: "He is a new generation point guard with size, athleticism and speed. … He's not a score-first guard."

3. Mario Hezonja, SG, 6-8, 200 pounds, Spain Barcelona, 19: "A swingman with really good size and strength already at a young age. Good shooter who attacks the rim. Smaller Danilo Gallinari-type who will be a better NBA player than overseas player."

4. Marc Garcia, SF, 6-6, 170 pounds, Spain La Bruixa d'Or, 18: "A decent shooter who can hit a 3-point shot. He is slippery going to the rim and gets to the basket easily. Very young."

5. Egemen Guven, PF-C, 6-11, 220 pounds, Turkey Pinar Karsiyaka, 18: "He has long arms and a nice skilled game at center with a little Pau Gasol in him. He's under control. Makes the right play. A solid midrange shooter."

6. Willy Hernangomez, C, 6-11, 250 pounds, Spain Cajasol Sevilla, 20: "His game and his body reminds me of Marc Gasol. He was recently named the Eurocup Player of the Week."

7. Ilimane Diop, C, 6-11, 215 pounds, Spain Caja Laboral, 19: "A big-time sleeper who is a great shot-blocker and rebounder. He is very athletic and runs the floor well. Lots of upside."

8. Cedi Osman, SF, 6-8, 215 pounds, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, 19: "A big-time point forward who can catch and shoot. He runs the floor well. Tough rebounder."

9. Mouhammadou Jaiteh, C, 6-9, 249 pounds, France Nanterre, 20: "A bully of a presence and a tough rebounder. Does everything under the basket."

10. Nenad Miljenovic, PG, 6-4, 200 pounds, Serbia Mega Leks, 21: "Tough, competitive guard with good ball-handling skills. Knows how to run a team. Very mature player."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/2015-n...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

BOSTON — On Thursday, Kobe Bryant and Rajon Rondo were spotted around town here, having breakfast. So, naturally, that means Rondo is heading to the Lakers. Right?

Uh, no. Asked about the breakfast here at TD Garden on Friday, Bryant smiled and said: “It was delicious.”

Rondo and Bryant have sparked up a friendship in recent years, after playing the part of rivals in the 2008 and 2010 Finals. “We talk about everything,” Bryant said. “We both love the game so much, we wind up talking about the game more times than not.”

Though the Lakers, like many teams, have a standing interest in Rondo, one source told Sporting News any notion of Los Angeles acquiring Rondo is, “all smoke, no fire.” The C Bags and Lakers have had no substantive talks regarding Rondo, and sources continue to maintain that Rondo has not been shopped by Boston in any way.

Bryant said he was not recruiting Rondo on Thursday. Asked about picturing playing with Rondo, Bryant smiled and said, “I have not thought about having potential teammates before.” He added, “We get along extremely well, we see the game in a similar fashion in terms of our aggressiveness and mindset. It was good to get together with him.”

Rondo, at least at this point in the season, not only remains firmly a member of the C Bags, but a guy the team wants to build around even after he hits free agency this summer. The C Bags not only see Rondo as a building block for themselves, but as a means of attracting one of a cadre of big men available on the market this summer.

The Lakers, meanwhile, don’t figure to be very active on the trade market in the coming months, according to league sources. The Lakers were able to come up with the draft pick (from Houston) in exchange for taking on the contract of guard Jeremy Lin, and they’d be interested in adding another pick.

Los Angeles can hang on to its own first-round pick only if that pick falls in the Top 5. Even at 5-14 heading into Friday, the team’s pick would fall at No. 6, meaning they’d require lottery luck in order to hang onto it. If it is not in the Top 5, the Lakers will send the pick to the Suns.

The chief issue for the Lakers when it comes to potential trades is obvious from a glance at the roster — there are slim pickings. “There isn’t much there you’re going to give up a lot for,” one general manager told Sporting News.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/sto...breakfast-lakers-C Bags-nba-trade-free-agency

 

I would really like Rondo. I think Rondo, a healthy Randle, and maybe any of the guys being thought of in the top 5 turns this whole thing around for us in a hurry.